Oh, sure, it's fine when Batman does it.

It has to be tough to use a villain next after Grant Morrison. Can you top him? Today's book makes a game try of it, by having him start with the most Morrison speech possible. From 2000, Batman: Gotham Knights #5, "Locked" Written by Devin Grayson, pencils by Dale Eaglesham, inks by John Floyd.

If I recall correctly, the first maybe year of this title was narrated by Hugo Strange, building his case files to get into Batman's head. And, in passing, the Key's as well; (relatively) fresh from his JLA appearance: he had been left in a "doorless fractal time-maze" by the Martian Manhunter. (Just say "mind-prison." Done.) Having freed himself in what sounds like a solid batch of self-actualization, the Key had now locked all the doors in Arkham, while he and his little outfitted goons fight Batman, Azrael, and (Cassie) Batgirl. Any one of whom should've been able to beat the tar out of them, but let's go on.

Every door in Arkham Asylum locked included locking up all the food as well, so inmates and trapped staff alike were both near starved at this point. Batman tears into the Key; to the point that Batgirl and Azrael have to intervene. And if those two think Bats has gone too far; that's a bit. Batman then throws a drug dealer off a roof to his death, if not for Batgirl saving him. Azrael confronts Batman, as the 'captured' Key drugs Robin and explains his game: if he can get Batman to kill him, he'll achieve a level of unprecedented fame, as well as "the ultimate escape! What door, after all, can bar you from death?"

In a reversal of their earlier positions, Azrael finds himself fighting to keep Batman from killing; but their fight is given short shrift, with Bats walking over him. Instead, it's a random doctor that talks Batman down, albeit while Bats hallucinates hearing it from his dead dad. Batman produces an injector of some kind, with an antidote to the Key's drug, from under his cape...or out of his ass, since where did that come from? It's possible he had it the whole time, but the drug precluded him from thinking to use it. The Key threatens to kill himself, but a disgruntled Batman takes a scalpel away from him, and says the only way to impress him would be to figure out a way to lock the Key up, which that nut sees as a challenge.

I've been trying to scare up the last issue of Azrael: Agent of the Bat for a while now; but I don't think anyone really took to his more-generically super-hero looking costume. That, and he had luxurious blonde locks that Thor would envy. Also this issue: a Batman: Black & White story, "Hide and Seek" Written by Paul Levitz, art by Paul Rivoche. It's not bad, but has one of those moments where Bats should maybe tell people what he's doing, before Commissioner Gordon has to start an unnecessary citywide lockdown...